Refrigeration systems are used in various industries, including the food industry, domestically and commercially for storing and maintaining products, such as food and beverages, at a low temperature.
These systems include a storage compartment for the products and a refrigeration assembly for cooling the air and products in the storage compartment.
The refrigeration assembly includes an evaporator assembly and a condenser assembly arranged in a closed circuit so that coolant may be cycled through the refrigeration assembly. Coolant absorbs heat from the storage compartment when in the evaporator assembly thereby cooling the storage compartment contents. The coolant is cooled in the condenser assembly, whereupon the coolant is returned to the evaporator assembly to again absorb heat from the storage compartment.
When in the condenser assembly, coolant is carried through a compressor which compresses the coolant. The compressed coolant is then carried to a heat exchanging condenser through a coil which, in part, is laid in a serpentine path in a condensate tray. The condensate tray is normally located below the heat exchanging condenser for collecting moisture or condensate drained from the evaporator assembly and the heat exchanging condenser. Locating the coil in the tray conveniently allows hot coolant emerging from the compressor to heat and evaporate any moisture present in the tray. Evaporated moisture exits the refrigeration system with the assistance of a fan contained in the heat exchanging condenser.
In prior art condenser assemblies known to the applicant, the coil is located in the tray by brackets in the tray. Also, the coil vibrates by virtue of the flow of compressed coolant through the coil. The brackets used to locate the coil in the condensate tray do little if anything to temper the vibration. As a result of the vibration, the coil may rupture through contact with surrounding components, causing coolant to be lost and the refrigeration assembly to shut down.
Vibration of the coil is exacerbated in condenser assemblies in which the condensate tray is proximate to the compressor. An example of a prior art condenser assembly in which this is the case is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,421 to Maynard et al. A structure for alleviating the deleterious effect of coil vibration is taught in this patent. In this structure, the coil is located in the condensate tray by brackets which are fastened to risers integrally formed in the condensate tray. The coil is thereby spaced from the tray and contact between the two is minimized when the coil vibrates which minimizes the likelihood of coil rupture. There is however still a need for a new arrangement of a coil in a condensate tray which also alleviates the problem of coil rupture through vibration of the coil and other problems in the art as follows.
The coolant coil, being located in the condensate tray, is exposed to moisture in the tray. Consequently, there is the problem of corrosion of the coolant coil. In refrigeration systems in which the storage compartment is disposed above the refrigeration assembly, spilled liquid products stored in the storage compartment may leak into the condensate tray further contributing to corrosion of the coolant coil.
A further problem associated with prior art condensate tray arrangements is that they are often difficult to clean. The coil and tray must be disassembled to thoroughly clean the tray of liquid residues and other substances.
An object of the invention is to provide an improved condensate tray arrangement which will address the above-mentioned problems.